Valentine's Mayham
by Phantom Shyraz
Summary: It's February and Sonoko panics. -ONE SHOT-


Disclaimer: Works of Meitantei Conan belong to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

A/N: I found this lurking on my cloud, if I remember correctly this was written because of a prompt from Poirot Cafe Forum. Not sure which one though. Not really my usual pairing but it's a good piece of fluff. I hope I calculated the dates right...

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 **-** **Valentine's Mayhem-**

 _Sunday, February 1st 2XXX, 7:30am_

Sonoko stood in front of the Mouri Detective agency on the bright sunny Saturday morning, her feet shifting from side to side as she ponders whether it was an appropriate time to make this visit. It was slightly out of character for her to approach her best friend this early but she had been losing too much sleep lately and knew she had to do something. Not wanting to wait further, she pressed the doorbell. All was silent in the apartment for a minute until Sonoko heard the opening and closing of the door.

A sleepy eyed Ran greeted Sonoko. Confusion written on her face as clear as day. For a moment, there was panic as she peered out from the doorway and down the staircase, as though she feared for Sonoko.

"Is something wrong Sonoko?" She asked, quickly dragging the young heiress inside. "It's not like you to come here all of a sudden." She yawned loudly, embarrassed as she covered her mouth.

"Sorry for the morning call Ran, but…" Sonoko fidgeted. Ran guided the pair of them back to her bedroom.

"You can tell me." There was concern in her voice, she probably saw through the concealer and noticed the darkened circle underneath her eyes. She gently pushed Sonoko on a seat on the bed before taking a seat herself. Her hands held Sonoko's in a tight grasp. "Did someone threaten you? Are you in danger?"

It goes to show how much crime and violence her friend had been exposed to when the first thing that came to mind was possible kidnapping attacks and blackmail threats.

"Nothing of that sort Ran, just...You know it's February right?"

The pair glanced over at the desk, where a calendar stood prominently. There were scribbles all over the small white squares, some in a delicate red pen, others in black, and a scarce few were in blue. Sonoko's eyes focused on a singular date a fortnight from today, where blue scribbles were made.

"What are you worried about?" Ran could not help but ask.

Within that moment of silence, Sonoko gathered up her courage and asked her best friend.

"I need you to teach me. In time for Valentines."

Confusion was once again prominent on Ran's face.

"You know how to make chocolate already. We went to that Master Class in the snow lodge a year back." Although the class itself was a disaster, ending with dredging up age-old homicidal case, the outcome was quite desirable. It helped that Sonoko's boyfriend came to the rescue like a prince in shining armour.

"Not chocolate. I know you gave a handmade knitted sweater to Shinichi-kun last year. I need you to teach me to knit."

"Sonoko, it took me nearly two months to make that. And I failed many times...I don't think you'll be able to make it within two weeks." Ran looked apologetic. Sonoko knew her own crafting skills were sometimes questionable and could not really compare to Ran's, but at least she knew her own limits.

"I'm not aiming for something that difficult. Remember, I tried before and I know I failed. This time, I want something...simpler." Sonoko pulled her handbag to her laps and showed Ran the design.

"It's...doable. I think. Give me a minute while I prepare something for 'tou-san. Then we can go out for supplies."

 _Thursday, February 5th 2XXX, 1:05pm_

Sonoko rushed out of the classroom with a paper bag underneath her arms the moment the bell rang for lunch. She sneaked up onto the roof and took a seat in the shadows cast by the small hut housing the stair access. Pulling out the needles and yarn, she turned to the sheaf of notes she carefully made during Sunday after the crash course with Ran.

"You're knitting for Kyougoku-san?" A rather cocky voice from above startled Sonoko in mid action. The ball of yarn that had been resting on her legs rolled away from her as she tries to scramble away.

"What on Earth! Shinichi-kun! Don't scare people like that!" She crossed her arms defensively. "And how did you come up here so quick?!"

"I wasn't even in the class just then." Shinichi jumped from his location, landing swiftly on the concrete roof just beside the fallen paper bag. "So? You're knitting? And are those Ran's handwriting? At least you had some pointers this time."

Ever since returning from his long case, Shinichi was slightly more approachable and his arrogant nature seemed to tone down a bit. There was also a sense of compassion and patient not often seen on those their age. Sonoko remembered hearing from Ran that Shinichi was more sombre now.

"What's it to you then?" Sonoko snatched up the run-away yarn. "You want to critique me on my skills?" She was ready to throw it at Shinichi the moment he says anything against her.

"No, just want to wish you luck this time. I know how you screwed up last year." He shrugged his shoulders before heading back indoors. "If you want to hide from the elements, go to the adjacent side, less windy."

Sonoko stared at the retreating form with her jaws ajar, hanging in surprise.

"Did he...just...gave me advice? Out of his own free will?"

 _Wednesday, February 11th 2XXX, 3:09am_

Sonoko clutched onto her phone like a lifeline, though it was quite the truth in this sense. Valentines was only a few days away and she could not afford to have such a set back. Her saviour was probably asleep and she was slightly guilty for waking her up at this hour but it was a matter of life and death.

"' _Ello?_ " Came the sleepy voice of Ran from the other end. " _Who's this?_ "

"Thank goodness! Ran! I need help!" She nearly shouted into her phone.

" _Sonoko? It's...three in the morning. In the middle of the week…_ " Her speech becoming clearer as she woke. " _Are you in danger? Should I call the police?_ "

"No, it's... _THAT_! I think I screwed up. It's knotted and...and…"

" _Sonoko._ " She groaned, there was a rather prominent thump from the other end. " _It can wait until tomorrow morning. Get some sleep. I'll see you in school._ "

"Wait! Ran!" The dial tone meant the other girl had likely fallen back asleep and Sonoko could not help but groan. "What am I to do now?"

 _Friday, February 13th 2XXX, 1:15pm_

"Ran. Please?" Sonoko begged her best friend. "I really don't want to do this alone."

"Sonoko, it's rare for Kyougoku-san to be free, shouldn't you make the most of the time together instead?" Ran tries to sound reluctant but Sonoko knew it was a matter of time before she relented.

"But...but...You need to give your present as well right? What better than a double date then!" Sonoko urged. Just a bit more push and Ran would agree.

Her karate-wielding friend sighed and relented. "Fine." She then turned towards the windows of the classroom, where Shinichi currently sat as he chatted with several of their classmates. They were in an animated conversation when Ran approached Shinichi. Their classmates catcalled and whistled but quickly vacated the area. Several minutes of soft chatting, resulting in a red faced Ran, there was a distinctive nod from Shinichi.

Ran returned back to Sonoko's side with a positive reply. "Tomorrow, noon. We'll meet at Beika station then we'll go for lunch and movie. That's all the time Shinichi's willing to give."

"Oh? Does that mean the pair of you have other plans that night?" Sonoko could not help but tease.

Ran's delicately blushed as she turned away stating she still wanted to buy something for lunch. Though the action was a moot point seeing as Shinichi then proceeded to tap on her shoulders telling her he would buy their lunch.

 _Saturday, February 14th 2XXX, 12:00 noon_

Sonoko stood quite nervously waiting for Ran and the boys. There was just something unnerving about waiting. Sonoko was relieved when she saw Ran walking calmly towards her with Shinichi standing just next to her. She eyed the rather large bag on Ran's shoulder, knowing that the intended Valentine's Day gift was held inside.

"You're early." Shinichi looked about for the final person to their group. "Did you just arrive?"

"What? Didn't expect me to be on time?" She crossed her arms, rattling the paper bag in her hands.

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow and was about to comment when Ran elbowed him in the abdomen. He let out a rather pained "omfph" and weakly glared at Ran.

"Be nice." She demanded.

A moment later, a rather ruffled Kyougoku Makoto ran from inside the station. There was a look of apology on his face as he tried to explain himself. Sonoko tries to calm him back down, stating "it's fine, you're not too late".

"Well? Where should we go for lunch?" Sonoko asked, hoping Ran had some place in mind.

"There's a nice family restaurant several blocks down. We can go there. It's within walking distance to the cinema." Surprisingly, it was Shinichi who suggested the place for lunch. Ran nodded then wrapped an arm around Sonoko and walked in front of the boys. It settled her nerves somewhat when her best friend made the contact.

"You'll do fine, just relax." Ran whispered into her ear. "Calm down."

"It's…" Sonoko wanted to say it might be better to call it off but then she nodded. It was a rare opportunity and she should not waste it on trivial matters such as her nerves.

Lunch passed without Sonoko gathering enough courage to make the move. Ran had, in the final moment before they asked for the bill, pulled out her own gift and presented it to Shinichi. There was a moment when Shinichi looked overwhelmed, then embarrassed, and finally grateful for Ran's effort.

He unwrapped the paper and ribbon to reveal a knitted dark blue scarf. There was this look on his face that made Sonoko felt uncomfortable, that they were intruding on a rather intimate moment. She looked at Makoto sitting beside here, there was a sense of expectation in his eyes and she glanced down at her bags. However, she was not able to gather up the courage to mimic Ran's performance. Instead, she sat there, congratulating and making fun of her pair of friends, all the while wincing internally at the lack of initiative on her own part.

Ran frowned when Sonoko made a comment on the craftsmanship of the scarf, she had been expecting Sonoko to follow suit but it seemed to be in vain. At least Shinichi looked to be enjoying the feel of the gift. It was a step back from the sweater she knitted before, but it was still well received.

As the boys went to purchase snacks from the snack bar inside the cinema, Ran pulled Sonoko aside.

"Why? You had such a good opening at lunch." She asked with concern. "You can't be insecure about the quality…"

"No…it's just." Sonoko glanced at Makoto who seemed to be in deep thought over the menu. "I...I don't want him to compare it with your's Ran."

"He won't. I promise you." Ran smiled knowingly. "He loved your gifts before. Granted, he did mistaken your cup for a vase and did overthink things when you mentioned you were making chocolate for your _Valentine_ , and not getting a clue, but still, Kyougoku-san would love it nonetheless. And I dare say he'll think it was even better than mine."

"Thanks Ran. I'll do it. After the movie." She looked expectantly at the poster, it was a romantic action film, something to satisfy everyone. She hoped it would set the mood.

The movie was something of a disappointment, in that the male and female lead were too wishy-washy in the relationship department. They never said the three magic words, neither did their actions reflect how they felt. However, Sonoko managed to draw courage from the film, only because she did not want her own Valentine's day to end up being a flop like the movie.

As the theater emptied out, Sonoko remained seated and Makoto the ever gentleman stayed with her. Ran took one look at the pair and led Shinichi out to wait for her friend in the front lounge.

"Um...Makoto-san…" Sonok fidgeted and finally took the paper bag into her laps. She nervously played with the handles before shoving the bag in his direction. "It's for you. Happy Valentines." Although she had the courage to give the present to him, she did not have the courage to see his reaction and thus tried to escape. But Makoto, seemingly having read Sonoko's intention, reached out to grab hold of the retreating wrist and tugged at Sonoko so she would sit back down into the velvet chair.

"Aren't you going to wait for me to look inside?" He asked with a slightly saddened voice.

"No, I mean yes I want to but...I'm not sure if you'll like it and...um…" Sonoko was lost for words as she glanced at the paper bag still held tight in Makoto's other hand. "That is, I'm not sure how well it'll be or the fit and things…"

"I'll like it I'm sure." He gave an encouraging smile just as Sonoko glanced up at his face. She immediately felt relaxed and patiently waited for him to open the bag.

Carefully, he took out the knitted object from within. There was confusion when the knitted length seemed to be unending.

"It's...long?" Were his first words after the tense moment.

"Makoto-san!" She was embarrassed. It had been difficult to judge how much would be enough so she ended up making it overly long.

"Well, at least it'll keep me very warm." He immediately wrapped the length around his own neck, wounding it around several times before letting the ends hang loose. "It's very warm." And the warmth was also reflected in his eyes, where it shone like a beacon. "You're going to make it very hard for me on White Day."

"No, I mean, I'm not really expecting a present from you or anything." The first Valentines, he had been too obtuse and did not know it was a Valentines present from her, so he had not prepared. This time, it was clear that this present had been made especially for him for this day and he would not dare to squander the girl's efforts. "But it would be nice if you have some free time in March and we can, maybe catch another movie. This time a better one?" That said, he was concerned whether his schedule would allow him the time to come back for a visit.

"I'll try for you Sonoko-san but, you know how it is with the matches." He was disappointed that he could not definitively say yes.

"It's fine, really." She quickly stood up and headed for the door before he could react. "I'll still look forward to it though."

She smiled happily when she saw Ran, who immediately gave her a thumbs up with an expression that said 'I told you so'. She nodded and quickly hugged her best friend, thanking her for the two weeks of tutelage and apologising for giving her migraines whenever she hit a snag.

"It's all worth it in the end you know." Ran said as they exited the cinema doors. "They love it don't they?" The two male were in a rather heated discussion as they each held out an end of their scarf, most likely commenting on the quality and colour, or whatever else they deemed to be the 'most important element' or something as innane.

"I never thought I'd actually managed it in such a short time…"

"Next time, Sonoko, start earlier. I don't think my heart and mind could take it on such short notice"

"I'll treat you to cakes tomorrow morning, that is if you're still free or awake..." Sonoko could not help but tease. A light pinkish blush formed on the cheeks as she turned away and dragged Shinichi along with her. The detective looked confused as he waved a hasty goodbye, allowing Ran to take him away. Makoto drifted back to Sonoko's side before asking whether she had anything else planned this afternoon and if she would like to join him as he go about to pick up some necessities. It might be a bit domestic but Sonoko still took the outstretched arm as he led them towards the shopping district.

 **-END-**


End file.
